Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Well, you're certainly raring to go this morning," Linda said, watching Phineas bolt down his breakfast.

"Isabella gets out of the hospital today," Phineas said between swallows. "I need to be there for her when she gets home."

Linda shook her head. "You'd think she was your girlfriend, with how much time you've spent with at the hospital with her." The girl from across the street had spent the past three days at Danville General Hospital recovering from an emergency appendectomy.

"I was really worried about her, but we're just good friends still, Mom," Phineas responded.

"Friends who flirt outrageously with each other," Ferb added.

Phineas grinned. "Well, that's half the fun, isn't it? Besides, you flirt with Gretchen all the time.”

“That’s different,” Ferb said calmly. “We’re dating.”

---

Phineas paced around the back yard, jumping every time a car came down the street. Finally, the familiar blue sedan of the Garcia-Shapiro family came around the corner. By the time it came to a stop in the driveway, Phineas had already crossed the street and was waiting to help Isabella out of the car.

"Well, aren't you helpful," Vivian said with a smile.

"Thank you, Phineas," Isabella said, taking his arm as he helped her into the house.

"Isa, why don't you rest on the couch, okay?" Vivian said, and Phineas led Isabella over, carefully seating her.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" he asked.

"Anything?" Isabella responded with a raised eyebrow.

He gave her a sly smile. "Well, anything I can do in polite company," he answered in a low voice.

"What would you do if we weren't in polite company?" she countered.

Blushing, Phineas laughed, conceding the point. One of these days, neither of us is going to flinch when we flirt like that. And then...

“Thank you for your help, Phineas,” Vivian said, bringing in some pillows and a blanket for her daughter. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Certainly, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro,” Phineas said, glad for the reprieve.

“I need to deal with an issue at work this afternoon; can you keep Isabella company while I’m out? It’d be from about two until three, maybe as late as four.”

“I can do that,” he said with a smile.

“For now, though, it might be good for you to let her rest, since you two tend to work each other up a bit,” Vivian said, escorting Phineas out the door.

“I’ll see you this afternoon,” he said as he left. Walking across the street, he found Ferb waiting for him. “If only there were something we could do to help Isabella,” he said to his brother.

Ferb rolled his eyes. “You could stop flirting and just ask her out. It’s like you both keep playing chicken with each other’s feelings, trying to see who’ll back down first.”

Phineas stopped in his tracks. “I know. We need to talk. But she’s still recovering, and I don’t want to stress her like that. I will talk to her about this, Ferb, but not right now. Right now, we need to try to get her better by letting her rest.”

A sudden idea hit him. “Ferb, I know what we’re going to do today.”

---

Isabella was bored. Three days of enforced rest in the hospital had quickly run her out of interest in daytime television; even the larger selection of channels at home didn’t help. She lay on the couch, thinking and idly petting Pinky.

“Pinky, should I talk to Phineas about this? We’ve been flirting for years, but recently I think he may be more serious about it. And...that doesn’t sound bad to me. I might like to do more than just flirt with him.”

The chihuahua looked at her as if he understood, and she laughed at the expression on the little dog’s face.

“You’re trying to tell me to just do this, right? If only it were that easy. I should at least wait until I'm better.”

The doorbell rang, and Pinky hopped down as her mother answered it, letting Phineas in. “Thank you so much for this, Phineas. Try to let her rest, please, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She went out the door, leaving the two teenagers alone.

Isabella sat up; Phineas came over and sat next to her. He gestured to her empty water glass. “Would you like some more?”

“Actually, right now I’d like some ginger ale. There should be some in the fridge.”

“Here, let’s see if this works, then.” He held out a small golden bracelet decorated with several glowing gemstones. “Let me put this on you...”

“What is it?” She looked up at him, wondering why he was giving her jewelry out of the blue.

“Just watch. Now hold out your hand with the glass in it, envision where the bottle is, and say what you want.”

With a puzzled look, she held out the glass and said, “Ginger ale.”

A faint electric *crackle* was audible, and the glass was filled with ginger ale.

Isabella looked at the bracelet in wonder. “What is it? A wishing bracelet?”

Phineas smiled at her. “Close. It’s a teleporter. You think about where something is, and name it, and it’ll teleport it to you. This way you can stay here and rest and still get something to eat or drink if you need to. It should safely work up to a hundred feet or so, and up to about twenty pounds. Probably more on both, but it'll drain your batteries faster. It’s smart enough to try to put things into containers properly. Try something else.”

Isabella thought about the bowl of grapes in the kitchen. “Grapes.”

With a *crackle*, her hand had a bunch of grapes hanging out of it.

“That’s really cool! Thank you, Phineas!”

“Anything for you,” he said with a devious smile. “These four red gems show the power that it has left - it’ll recharge over time from your body heat and arm movement. You can turn it on or off by pressing on this green gem right here.”

“This is one of the nicest things you’ve ever done for me. And it’s beautiful, too.” She gave him a quick hug, then retrieved the remote control from the end table with a *crackle*.

Phineas looked as if he were about to say something, but couldn’t quite bring himself to.

---

“I froze, Ferb,” Phineas said that night. “It was a perfect opportunity to talk to her about...us...and I blew it. She said the bracelet was beautiful, and I should have said that she was too. Or that it suited her, then. Or...”

Ferb looked at him and rolled his eyes. “Go to bed, Phineas. Try again tomorrow.”

“Right.”

---

Tired, Isabella got ready for bed. It’s going to be so nice sleeping in my own bed for a change, she thought.

She climbed under her covers; she was tired but not really exhausted, as everyone had kept her from doing anything all day. A little more recovery time and she’d be feeling human again. And then, maybe, I can talk to Phineas about getting more serious.

She looked at her new bracelet, gemstones shining in the darkened room. She should probably take it off overnight, but it was a present from Phineas. I’ll just turn it off. She pressed the green gem until the lights on the bracelet all turned off, then pulled the blanket up to her chin and tried to go to sleep, thinking of the red-haired boy - so close, but so far away, in his room across the street. He’d spent so much time keeping her company in the hospital, trying to keep her spirits up when she felt her worst. She drifted off to sleep with him in her mind.

She dreamt of him, and what it would be like to do more than just flirt with him. Her hands slipped under her cheek; her wrists bumped together, jogging the green gem and powering up the bracelet.

She rolled over, dreaming of splashing with him in her pool. He dove down and came up next to her, taking her in his arms and tenderly kissing her. “Oh, Phineas,” she murmured in her sleep.

*CRACKLE*

Chapter Text

Phineas woke up slowly, dreamily. It was still early - the light from the rising sun streamed in through the window. Pinky was in his basket on the floor, sound asleep. Isabella was curled up in Phineas's arms with an incredibly content look on her sleeping face.

Wait, what?

His eyes snapped fully open and he looked around. He was clearly in Isabella’s room; the pink walls would have clued him in if the black-haired girl in his arms wasn’t enough of an indication.

How did I get here? And how do I get out of here without us both getting in trouble?

Ferb, I’m going to murder you for this.

Isabella snuggled into his shoulder, sighing happily in her sleep. Her nightshirt pressed up against his bare chest, and her bare legs were tangled around his own pajama-covered limbs, causing all sorts of distracting feelings.

I could get to like this, he thought. Very much. Assuming she doesn’t go ballistic when she wakes up.

Ferb, if I survive this, and Isabella doesn’t hate my guts afterwards, I may just let you live.

Isabella’s eyes flickered open, and she smiled at him muzzily for a moment. Then her eyes suddenly went wide, and she inhaled sharply.

“Shh,” he whispered. “Please don't scream, your mother would kill us. I think Ferb might have played a trick on us. I have no idea how I ended up here.”

Isabella sat up, pulling the blankets along to wrap around herself. “How could he have teleported you here without you noticing?”

He sat up as well, braced by the sudden chill from losing the warmth of both Isabella and the blankets. “I’m a pretty heavy sleeper; apparently so are you.” He noticed the bracelet on her wrist, holding the blankets in place, one lonely red gem blinking next to the glowing green gem. “Um, Isabella...your bracelet is low on power. Did you use it a lot before you went to bed last night?”

She looked down at it, confused. “No, after Mom got home I didn’t use it at all. It was fully powered when I turned it off to go to sleep last night...” She trailed off, an embarrassed look crossing her face.

He nodded. “Did you dream about me last night? Teleporting me over from across the street would certainly drain the power like this.”

Isabella blushed, looking away from him. “Maybe? I don’t remember my dreams too clearly, because I was a bit surprised when I woke up.”

Phineas sat back. “Okay. I guess it isn’t Ferb’s fault after all. So how do we get me out of here without both of us getting grounded until we’re old enough to drink?”

“I think Mom’s up already, so just sneaking out the front door won’t work.”

“So I need some way to get past without her seeing me? I can do that, but I need Ferb’s help. Can I borrow your phone?”

She reached over to the nightstand and unlocked it, handing it to him. He quickly sent a message to Ferb.

Hey, you awake? I need your help.

A reply came quickly. I’m awake now. What’s up, Isabella?

This is Phineas. Long story, I’ll explain when I get back. Please go through my pile of blueprints, find the personal cloaking device, build one, and put it on my desk?

This, I simply must hear. Give me fifteen minutes.

He set the phone down. “Okay, fifteen minutes. Is your mother likely to look in on you before then?”

“I don’t know. Normally, no, but with me recuperating...”

He nodded, and they fell into a brief silence, looking into each other’s faces as if trying to find words there.

“So...no shirt?” Isabella asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, they got too confining. They kept getting twisted around me as I slept,” Phineas said. “Fortunately, I decided to wear the pants last night; I don’t always.”

She grinned. “Yeah, it would have been even more awkward if you weren’t wearing those pants.”

*crackle*

He flinched as he realized that he was now wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

Isabella looked down at his pants, dangling from her hand; she dropped them and put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. “I’m so sorry. Lucky you’ve still got your...”

“Don’t say it,” he interrupted, grabbing her pillow and placing it in his lap, covering his underwear.

“...right. Sorry. That would have been bad.”

He reached over and plucked his pants up from the bed; Isabella turned around so he could put them on. As he sat back down, her phone bleeped. A message from Ferb said All ready.

“Can I borrow your bracelet for a moment?” Phineas asked.

She took it off and handed it to him; he put it on and said, “Cloaking device”.

With a *crackle*, a small black sphere appeared in his hand. Grinning, he took off the bracelet and placed it back on her wrist. “Okay. I’ll head back home, and we can talk later?”

She nodded with a slight smile.

From outside the door, Isabella’s mother asked, “Isa, are you okay? Who are you talking to?”

Phineas hit the button on the cloaking device, and the world around him faded to grey as he went invisible. Vivian opened the door, poking her head in.

“I was just talking to Pinky, Mom,” Isabella said quickly, pointing at the dog who had just woken up.

“Oh, okay.” Vivian walked in, giving Phineas the opportunity to slip through the door. He slunk down the stairs, then quietly opened the front door, closing it behind himself. The morning was a bit chilly for a boy in thin pajama pants, but he could tolerate it for the few minutes until he got inside. He trotted across the street, trying to figure out how to get into his house unnoticed. Luck was with him; his father opened the front door and walked over to pick up the newspaper, giving Phineas an opportunity to slip past him.

He snuck up the stairs, into his bedroom, and turned off the cloaking device, rolling it under the bed. Grabbing his robe, he crossed the hall to Ferb’s room and knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

“It’s me,” Phineas said.

“Come in,” Ferb replied, so Phineas opened the door.

Ferb was sitting at his desk, still dressed in his own pajamas.  A thin residue of construction covered the desk, and Phineas’s blueprint was tacked to the wall nearby. Ferb raised an eyebrow in expectation, and Phineas closed the door behind himself.

“Isabella accidentally turned on the teleporter bracelet last night in her sleep, and apparently was dreaming about me,” Phineas began.

Ferb opened both eyes wide.

“We both slept through it, until we woke up all curled together in her bed.”

“You two have been flirting forever, but this takes the cake,” Ferb said.

“This...wasn’t flirting. This was really nice. And I’m pretty sure it was accidental when she teleported my pajamas away.”

Ferb blinked, then burst out laughing.

“Fortunately, I had a pillow to cover myself with.”

Ferb shook his head and smiled.

“So, I’m going to catch a shower and get some breakfast, then wander back over. Maybe we can talk about this.”

“Good luck, Phineas. Just watch out for the teleporter.”

---

Isabella was lying on the couch resting, watching some brainless reality show, when the doorbell rang. Her mother answered it, and let Phineas in.

“Good morning, Phineas. Can you keep Isa company while I go grocery shopping?” her mother asked.

“Certainly, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro.”

“Let her rest, please. I’ll be back in a little bit.” She grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

Phineas came over and sat at the other end of the couch; she moved her feet so he had room. He looked like he was trying to figure out what to say.

“So, um...” he said. “About this morning...”

“I’m sorry,” Isabella murmured. But it was so nice waking up like that...

“Don’t be. You can’t control your dreams, and apparently we made the bracelet a bit too sensitive.”

“I still don’t know if I was dreaming about you. But...” Isabella looked at the floor. “I was thinking about you before I went to sleep.”

Phineas raised an eyebrow. “Anything in particular?”

“Just how nice you’d been to me, and how much it meant to me that you’d come and visited me.”

Phineas paused, trying to find his voice. “I was so worried about you. I was terrified I’d lose you, without ever being able to tell you...”

A warm current ran through her, and she asked, “Tell me what?”

“Tell you how much you mean to me. More than just a friend.”

“I think of you as more than a friend too,” she whispered, not trusting her own voice.

He knelt down next to her. “I know we can’t do much about that until you’re better,” he said. “But when you’re up to it, I’d like to take you out on a date.”

“I’d like that a lot,” Isabella said.

Phineas took a deep breath. "May I...kiss you?" he asked, with just a bit of a quiver in his voice.

Her voice caught in her throat; all she could do was nod.

Phineas looked afraid, just for a second, but then he bent down over her. Holding her as carefully as if she were fine china, he gently brushed her lips with his. Oh. I need more than that, she thought.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him back down, mashing her lips against his. His arms held onto her more strongly as the kiss deepened. Her arms slipped around him as they broke off the kiss, and she hugged him until her side started to hurt.

“I’ve wanted that for so long...” she said.

“Worth the wait?” he whispered in her ear.

“Yes.” She scooted back on the couch. “Come here. I didn’t get enough time to enjoy getting held this morning.”

With a grin, he lay on the couch next to her, taking her in his arms. She nestled into his shoulder with a happy sigh.

“It was really nice waking up with you this morning,” Phineas said. “You looked really beautiful in your nightshirt.”

“Mmm. You weren’t so bad yourself. I liked the boxer shorts.”

*crackle*

Phineas’s eyes went wide. “Well...that’s an interesting sensation,” he said.

Isabella looked at Phineas’s triangle-patterned underwear, dangling from her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said, laughing.

They both jumped as the front door unlocked. Isabella tucked Phineas’s underwear underneath herself with an embarrassed smile as he quickly sat at the end of the couch. He reached over and pushed the green gem on her bracelet, turning it off; Isabella giggled.

“Phineas, can you help me bring the groceries in?” Vivian asked as she came through the door carrying two bags.

Adjusting his pants and walking just a little funny, Phineas went to help.